Synthesis and photovoltaic performance of dihydrodibenzoazepine-based sensitizers with additional lateral anchor

• Published in: Dyes and pigments 2013-12, Vol.99 (3), p.1072-1081
• Main Authors: Zang, Xu-Feng, Xu, Yang-Fan, Iqbal, Zafar, Huang, Zu-Sheng, Kuang, Dai-Bin, Wang, Lingyun, Meier, Herbert, Li, Ying, Cao, Derong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anchoring; Anchoring group; Conversion; Dihydro-5H-dibenzo[b,f]azepine; Dye loading; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Dyes; Energy conversion efficiency; Extinction; Photophysical properties; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic performance; Solar cells; Synthesis
• ISSN: 0143-7208; 1873-3743
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dyepig.2013.08.023

Three novel metal-free organic dyes with dihydro-5H-dibenzo[b,f]azepine as a donor and cyanoacrylic acid as an anchoring unit were designed as an innovative linear skeleton of D–D–π–A type of organic dyes. The conversion efficiency of the derived dye-sensitized solar cells is moderate. Among them, the dye with a hydroxy group as an additional anchoring moiety exhibited the highest UV–Vis absorption with a maximum molar extinction coefficient of 24,136 M−1 cm−1 at λmax = 458 nm and the best photovoltaic performance with an overall power conversion efficiency of 4.88%, while the dye with a carboxy group as an additional anchoring moiety exhibited the lowest conversion efficiency (4.52%). The results show that the dye loading on the film and photovoltaic performance of the dyes were influenced by the additional anchoring units. [Display omitted] •Three novel dihydro-5H-dibenzo[b,f]azepine based dyes with a D–D–π–A system were designed and synthesized.•Carboxy and hydroxy groups were introduced into the dye molecules as additional lateral anchoring groups.•The additional lateral anchoring groups influence the photovoltaic performance of the dyes.